Comic Couples We Love To Hate (2026 Edition)

Last year, we covered some of our least favorite comics couples. It’s only fair to return to the well for another five comics pairings that we love to hate.

Nightcrawler & Marvel Girl

Kurt Wagner and Rachel Summers/Grey were teammates for years, with a healthy respect for each other and close friendship. That’s why when they hooked up — in two completely different series at that — it just didn’t feel right. In fact, it almost felt like Nightcrawler was kissing his sister (and yes, I say that knowing fully that Amanda Sefton exists). The natural order has righted itself though, as Rachel came out as bisexual in the Krakoa era and began dating Betsy Braddock, and Kurt resumed his swashbuckling, lady-charming ways.

Joker & Harley Quinn

We actually debated including Joker and Harley for a while as a staff. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that too many fans out there still consider Joker and Harley couple goals, and not one of comics’ greatest examples of an abusive, toxic, one-sided relationship. And that’s what it is. Joker manipulated Harley to get what he needed, he only treated her well when he needed something, and he physically, emotionally, and mentally abused her. The Joker only cares about one person, and that’s himself. Acting like he’s something to aspire to in any way shape or form is just screwed up.

Nightwing & Tarantula

I’m going to preface this by saying authorial self-inserts aren’t by themselves a bad thing. The issue is when they take center stage, and in Devin Grayson’s Nightwing, Tarantula was not just a self insert. She became Dick Grayson’s partner, love interest and ultimate temptation. Worst of all, she forced herself on Nightwing, playing into one of the worst tropes in modern fiction — downplaying sexual abuse and assault towards men. This is a relationship we’d rather forget ever happened.

Thanos & Death

Look, the idea of a villain obsessed with the literal personification of the concept of Death? That’s cool as hell, whether she’s a sexy skeleton or a manic Goth dream girl. Honestly, it’s something that the Marvel Cinematic Universe shouldn’t have changed. It’s one of the best things about Thanos.

But you can’t say that being inspired to slaughter half the universe just to try to get the attention of your crush is anything but a pairing we should hate.

Norman Osborn & Gwen Stacy

Okay, this one is loaded as hell.

Originally, the much maligned Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Past was proposed as a storyline in which Spider-Man discovered he had fathered two children with his first love, Gwen Stacy, that he didn’t know about (who were born while Gwen was overseas for several months). Marvel editorial rightfully said that the concept of their most iconic hero as a deadbeat dad was a bad one, and the story shouldn’t proceed. However, instead of killing it outright, the Spider-Man editorial office suggested replacing Peter’s role in the story with none other than his archrival … Norman Osborn. So Peter Parker’s long-lost love Gwen Stacy — his ultimate tragedy and failure — was now suddenly a one-time paramour of Norman Osborn, the man who would eventually murder her.

Yeah, there’s an entire essay right there in that last sentence.

Thankfully, the story has mostly been retconned into this Gwen being a robot or a clone or a hologram (insanely, it’s unclear what she was outside of it not really being Gwen). But, we will forever hate this story for being the comic which gave us Norman Osborn’s “o-face” and burned it in our memories.